Hotline to Murder

respect. But that doesn’t mean we won’t get him. And you can help. I have talked to a few of you—those who were especially close to Joy. I don’t have time to talk to all of you, but if any of you knows anything that might help us, please come forward at the end of the meeting. I will give a business card to everybody who wants one and leave some with Nancy. If you remember anything, if you come across any piece of information, please call me immediately. Even if you think it’s inconsequential, tell me. Don’t pass judgment yourself. And now, are there any questions?”
    Some people in the audience looked around, but nobody raised a hand for a few seconds. Then a girl timidly put up her hand. Detective Croyden pointed to her and said, “Yes?”
    “What about underwear?” the girl asked. Nobody laughed. “None of the reports have mentioned underwear being found.”
    “We have reason to believe that Joy was wearing underwear,” Detective Croyden said, with a straight face. “We think the suspect took it with him. He may have a fetish of some sort. That could help us in our investigation.”
    Detective Croyden had used the word fetish, just as Tony had. He was glad to have official support for his conjecture. When nobody else raised a hand, he got up his nerve and raised his own hand.
    When Detective Croyden recognized him, Tony stood up and said, “What about the guard as a suspect? By his own admission he was the last person to see Joy alive, other than the suspect. Couldn’t he be a suspect?” He had mangled the question, but he thought it was a valid one.
    The detective said, “We haven’t ruled anybody out. We are investigating anybody and everybody at this point. We have talked to the guard several times. We have no reason to believe that the guard was involved in the murder.”
    It was a carefully worded answer, calculated to relieve their minds, since they worked in the building. It had the intended effect.
    Then a boy raised his hand and asked whether the Hotline phones would be tapped.
    Detective Croyden appeared to consider his answer before he gave it. Then he said, “The Hotline phones will not be tapped. Typically, phone tapping is done to allow the police to overhear conversations and to attempt to determine the location of the caller. Nancy has pointed out that if the phones are tapped, the Hotline could no longer claim that your conversations are confidential, and you would have to shut down for good. Although I believe that there would be some value from tapping the phones, we are not going to do it at this time. We will depend on you, the listeners, to file full reports for any calls that you consider to be suspicious.” He looked as if he might be going to say something more, but then he asked for the next question.
    A few more people raised their hands and asked questions, but that didn’t produce any new information.
    When the questioning stopped, Detective Croyden turned the microphone back over to Nancy, who said that Gail would explain how they would get the Hotline restarted. Gail was older than Nancy and a longtime Hotline employee. She had taken the job, which was part-time, as a sort of second career after her children had left home. She was beloved by all the listeners. And because she was in good shape, she looked younger than her years as she approached the lectern.
    First, Gail said a few words about Joy. Then she said, “The security of the Hotline has been compromised to some extent by the news reports. It is possible to piece together from the reports which building we are located in. Not everybody will make the connection but, unfortunately, the people most likely to make it are the ones we least want to. The good news is that our office number hasn’t been publicized. And of course, we aren’t listed on the building’s list of tenants.
    “But still, you should be careful when you come to work. If anybody suspicious is loitering near the building, report them to the guard. The guard will call Detective Croyden. We don’t want people following any of us up to our office. Fortunately, a lot of young people frequent the mall, so it is fairly easy for you teens to get lost in the crowd.
    “As for the new rules, we haven’t completely finalized them yet, but the emphasis is on security. Therefore, at least two people must work the four-to-seven and the seven-to-ten p.m. shifts. On the late shift, at least one of the listeners must be male. If we can’t